Prompted by the government’s Commission of Audit, health policy analysts have spent the first weeks of the year vigorously debating ways to rein in Australia’s rising health budget and to make the system…

Countries relying on private health insurance, such as the United States, pay far more for health care.
Kate Ter HaarDecember 8, 2013

We have come to see private health insurance as an essential part of the national health funding mix, but it’s actually quite a costly way to fund health care. A well-designed system with a single national…

Are claims about private health costs exaggerated, or right on the money?
Health care cost image from www.shutterstock.comAugust 13, 2013

“The changes to lifetime health cover will increase [private health insurance] premiums by up to a reported 27.5%. This is hitting many local residents very hard, with some struggling to find the money…

The loading paid by people over the age of 30 who are insuring for the first time no longer attracts a government rebate.
LUKAS COCH/AAPJuly 1, 2013

The government will no longer refund 30% of the cost of the loading paid by people who take out private health insurance after the age of 30. The removal of the rebate from the lifetime health cover loading…

Last night’s budget edges closer toward equity but a broader view of health is required if we are to make real progress.
winnifredxoxo/FlickrMay 15, 2013

Health took a back seat in this year’s federal budget. While the proportion of money being spent on health is increasing in 2013-14, the bulk of it is due to spending commitments made in previous budgets…